STOUGHTON 3 vs USM 4 OT

Saturday afternoon at Beaver Dam, University School overpowered Cedarburg by a 7-1 margin to win the Sectional 8 final and head to the 2010 State High School Ice Hockey Tournament.

Senior Alex Tesensky fired a shot off the cross bar and into the net to give University School a 4-3 overtime victory over Stoughton in a quarterfinal game of the Wisconsin State Ice Hockey Tournament in Madison Thursday night.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

USM took the lead in the first period.  In center ice, USM senior Charlie James sent the puck to Tesensky skating into the Stoughton zone.  Like a mailman pulling up to deliver an important package, Tesensky stopped at the top of the circle and waited for his linemate junior Simon Leahy to enter the zone.  Tesensky line a pass across ice, and Leahy fired a low shot that beat Stoughton’s junior goalie Dylan Anderson at 5:16.

USM went ahead 2-0 later in the first period.  Junior Aaron Storch skated the puck into the Stoughton zone along the left boards.  Avoiding checks, he slipped below the goal line and circled behind the net.  Storch passed the puck out front to sophomore Ashton Wackym, who was heading to the net.  Wackym tapped the puck past Anderson at 6:44.

Stoughton made the score closer on a power play at 10:44 of the first period.  Skating through center ice along the left boards, senior Elias Motz sent the puck cross ice to senior Dillon Gavazzoni.  Gavazzoni stepped around a USM defenseman as he received the puck at the USM blue line.  He moved in and blasted a shot from the high slot that whizzed past USM’s senior goaltender Dan Smyczek.

Stoughton tied it on a shorthanded goal late in the first period.  Sophomore Isaac Hale cleared the puck out of the Stoughton zone deep into the USM end.  Junior Anthony Gomez outraced the USM players, got the puck, and sent it to junior Eric Howell along the USM right mid-boards.  Howell moved in a step or two and rifled a shot past Smyczek at 14:12.

There was no scoring in the second period, and the score remained 2-2 heading into the third.  Midway through the third period, Stoughton got its first and only lead.  Gavazzoni sent the puck to junior Trevor Hoth, moving into the USM zone.  Just inside the blue line, Hoth blazed a quick low shot into the USM net at 8:54.

USM tied it back up on a power play.  The Wildcats moved the puck around the Stoughton zone.  Tesensky got it and moving along the blue line toward the left boards, he looked for a scoring opportunity.  He found one.  Leahy slid toward the net on the far side.  Tesensky fired a low pass to him.  Leahy knocked it out of the air and into the Stoughton net at 10:28.

The game remained tied at 3 goals apiece for the rest of regulation.  In overtime, each team had some shots, but it wasn’t until 4:19 that one made a difference.  In the Stoughton zone, junior defenseman Zach Hafeman stopped a Stoughton clearing attempt at the blue line and sent the puck back deep into the zone.  It skipped to Leahy below the goal line on the left side.  He fed a short pass to Tesensky.  Tesensky skated through the left circle and veered into the slot.  As he did, the players in front of the Stoughton net seemed to part like the Red Sea, giving Tesensky a clear shot on net.  He gunned it, and sent his team into the semi-finals and Stoughton on a ride back home.

In the game Anderson made 25 saves and Smyczek made 28. 

Now 16-7-3, USM advances to the semi-finals against Notre Dame de la Baie Academy of Green Bay, which defeated Madison Edgewood 4-0 in their quarter final game.  The USM vs Notre Dame game will be played Friday at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.